Elongated pocket size two-element dose-time-indicating container



H. D. NORTH March 27, 1956 ELONGATED POCKET SIZE TWO-ELEMENT DOSE-TIME-INDICATING CONTAINER Filed April 18, 1955 Fra L5.

INVENTOR. HHFFOLD D. M 7H,

FIG ,2.

United States Patent ELUNGATED POCKET SIZE TWO-ELEMENT DOSE-TIll/lE-ENDICATIN G CONTAINER Harold I). North, Cleveland Heights, (thin Application April 18, 1955, Serial No. 502,113

1 Claim. (Cl. 116--121) This invention relates to a two-piece container for medicinal capsules, pills, or the like, which is provided with a simple, efiective, easily read dose-time-indicating means.

The present application presents a modification and improvement of my prior application Serial No. 333,155, filed January 26, 1954, and issued as Patent No. 2,706,464, April 19, 1955.

As stated in the prior application, the preferred embodiment of the container is such that it may be conveniently carried in a pocket or handbag, and in which the time-indicating and closure-securing characteristics comprise a notch arrangement whereby elfectiveness, convenience in use, and cheapness of manufacture are attained.

The embodiment of the present application includes in its essential characteristics an elongated tubular receptacle, preferably having a slightly reduced neck portion of sufiicient length in relation to the diameter to assure firmly holding a cup-like cylindrical wall closure in firm embracing and securing engagement when closed, and yet which may be readily removed and replaced at any of a number of angular positions corresponding to dose-time-indicating indicia.

In one form, the indicia are formed or printed on the cylindrical outer surface of the container or cap portion when closed; and in a modified form, disclosed herein, the cap is provided with a notch-like opening through which numerals and time-indicating marks may be viewed. The cap may be conveniently and firmly positioned at the desired time indicating position.

An arrow adjacent the reading or viewing opening formed in the closure cap wall may facilitate precise positioning and indication.

It is recognized that heretofore relatively fiat paper pill boxes, both circular and rectangular, have been provided with time indicia for the same general purpose. Likewise, bottles with relatively small necks and cork closures have been proposed to be used. All of these have various disadvantages, of uncertainty, difliculty in manipulation, likelihood of spilling the contents, high cost of manufacture and the like. One of such prior devices has the elongated, compact streamlined design of my two-element container, which is preferably formed by plastic molding of a substantially rigid, relatively unbreakable material.

As appears in the accompanying drawings, the shape is convenient for the necessary capacity, and most convenient for carrying, handling, opening, closing, and timesetting.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, in slightly less than full scale, of a preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the container and the closure, showing the closure removed and illustrating the relative length of the closure receiving neck portion and closure wall embracing the same;

2,739,564 Patented Mar. 27, 1956 Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing a modified arrangement of the time-indicating means;

Fig. 5 is a similar view, illustrating a modified form of the closure and time-indicating indicia; and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the upper portion of the container showing the time-indicating indicia carried by the reduced neck portion and for use with the cap shown in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings by the use of letters to designate like parts, the container proper is shown as comprising a hollow cylindrical member several times longer than its diameter and having a wall portion A and a bottom end closure B, while at its upper end it is open, as at C.

The thickness of the wall A may vary somewhat, depending upon the material of which the container is formed. As shown, the outer surface is tapered and slightly curved toward the bottom to contribute a more pleasing appearance.

Near the top part of the cylindrical container may be formed a closure receiving surface E.

If the material used lends itself to fairly thick wall design, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the wall near its open end so that a cap fitted thereover may continue a substantially uniform external diameter, as shown.

The thinner wall portion as indicated at D and the cap receiving surface, designated E, extend to a shoulder F. The surface E is preferably very slightly tapered to facilitate a tight frictional gripping of a cap H, which has a cylindrical skirt portion, as shown, and a top wall K. The side wall of the closure is of such a length that it may retain the closure in tight engagement without likelihood of being accidentally removed, and to this end, I prefer to make the length of the closure side wall, and the length of the coacting gripping surfaces, at least as great as one-half the diameter of the container, and, preferably, substantially more, as shown.

In the proportions found most desirable, the container may be three to five times as long as its diameter. The inside edge of the cap and the upper edge of the surface E may be slightly rounded, although hardly sufiiciently to attempt to show in the drawings, yet such as to facilitate readily placing the cap over the end of the tubular body, after which it may he slid downwardly and pressed into tight engagement.

The time-indicating means shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is formed on the outside Wall of the cap H, the hour indi cators constituting longer lines opposite the numerals there shown (1 to 12) while the half-hour lines are shown as shorter and evenly spaced therebetween, as indicated at R.

A pointer, normally registering with any one of the twenty-four lines Q and R on the cap, is positioned on the outside of the cylinder of the container, as indicated at S in Figs. 1 and 2, and adjacent to which may appear a legend, such as Last taken or Taken at. Those and other indicia, such as Pill minder or Instructions may be imprinted, molded upon, or depressed into the outer surface of the wall.

In order to eliminate the expense of providing and aflixing any external element or elements, movable or otherwise, the time indications or cylindrical dial indicia are preferably impressed into the material of the cap and wall of the container, whereby the complete device constitutes only two physical elements. The depressed lines and numerals may be filled with paint or suitable colored material to render them more readily visible.

As indicated in my prior application issued as a patent, an essential point of uniqueness and practicability of this container resides in its convenient shape and size, and it is important that it comprises only two mechanical parts while providing for effective, durable time indicia, easily visible and thus conveniently read and utilized. Obviously, the convenience and economical construction, which lends itself to cheapness of manufacture, is enhanced by the utilization of only two elements for such a dose-time-indicating container for medicinal capsules, pills or the like.

In the present instance, the time indicating position is assured by the long, firm frictional grip, preventing inadvertent removal of the cap and, there being no external protuberances, avoiding any likelihood of inadvertently disturbing the time setting.

The structure may be made by modern methods of plastic molding as, for example, by thermoplastic injection, thermosetting molding of suitable material; and it maybe made opaque or translucent, or even transparent if desired. Either or both of the cylindrical body and .cap portions may be similarly made of polyvinyl materials or the like.

In my former application, 1 provided ribs and grooves for facilitating the setting of the time and avoiding any possibility of inadvertent disturbing of a setting. However, I have found that with the sufficiently long, preferably slightly tapered frictional, mutually engaging surfaces of the cap and cylindrical container, the coacting ribs and grooves of said former application, for many uses and prescriptions to a certain class of users, may become unnecessary.

In the fragmentary view of Fig. 4, I have shown a slightly modified form of the graduations and coating indicating arrow S, while the hour and half-hour lines Q and R are formed on the body portion and the arrow is formed on the cap.

Ina further modified form, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, instead of the time indicating numerals and lines being positioned as described, I may place the numerals and time indicating lines and hour lines, as at Q", on the reduced portion E".

The zone of the numerals can be adjacent to the position of the lower edge of the cap wall H", while a cut-away portion or notch T is formed in the wall H of sutficient height and width to expose one hour-indicating numeral at a time. The arrow S" may be placed on the cap to bring it into precise registration with the line Q" or the intervening half-hour lines, as desired.

In addition to the device comprising only two physical elements and yet having the complete provision for dosetime indication, the shape and size are unique and convenient, distinguishing essentially from bottle and cork arrangements or screw cap devices with separate movable time indicators thereon, and it will be seen that it may safely contain and protect even fragile types of capsules or pills.

Further, it is psychologically very comforting to realize that whatever time setting is given, it is certain to remain so set until the next dose is taken and the cap is again reset firmly.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A two-piece container for medicinal capsules, pills or the like provided with a dose-time-indicating means and comprising a substantially non-yielding cylindrical body receptacle closed at one end and being approximately an inch more or less in diameter and three to four inches long, and having an external closure-receiving surface at its open end, a closure cap member adapted to embrace the neck surface and extend along the body for a distance equal to one-half or more of the diameter of the cylindrical interior, the cap comprising an end wall.

and skirt portion, and the skirt portion having an open area through the wall extending from the edge toward the closed portion and the neck surface having timeindicating numerals and graduation marks thereon positioned to divided spaces of numeral positions and adapted to be exposed through said open area, and an indicating mark on the cap portion adapted to register with the indicator lines.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS North Apr. 19, 1955 

